My pdoc just told me that they did a study and found that people with BP Disorder have a defense mechanism that makes them go manic to block out a depression. When we put our dog down, I went into a manic state and I know I probably seemed to be cold, but I was miserable without him because he was our son. My brain was protecting me from feeling sadness.

When I went to pick up his ashes, I was very hypo and was talking everyone's ears off, and I was laughing. I must have seemed like I didn't care, but deep down, I was miserable.

Mania, she said, was a coping mechanism for people with BP Disorder.